Police in Ohio issue a public health warning to individuals who may mistake traffic cones for candy corn. (File - Image Credit: MGN)

NORWOOD, Ohio (WKRC) - Thanks to the recent trend of teenagers and adults eating Tide Pods for social media recognition, police in Ohio decided to issue a statement on Facebook in hopes of getting in front of the next potential forbidden fruit challenge: traffic cones.

"We have been made aware that persons are possibly eating Tide Pods because they resemble candy. We thought it would be prudent to let persons know that this traffic cone is not just a really big piece of candy corn," the Norwood Police Department wrote.

"They don't taste at all like candy. Please do not try to eat them. Though most likely not dangerous to eat, a traffic cone would be very chewy, could taste like motor oil, and be extremely difficult to swallow," police advised.While the post was obviously (hopefully) made in jest, it should be stated that Tide Pods pose a significant health risk if ingested.

"When the film dissolves and the detergent is released, the ethanol, peroxide, and polymers can burn—and not just a little," according to Consumer Reports. The burns can be caustic, literally eating away at the tissues in the mouth, stomach, esophagus and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

Based on the Norwood Police Department's social media post, the risks associated with eating a giant orange traffic cone are somewhat overshadowed by the sheer difficulty.